SB 7, as introduced, Wolk. Housing: water meters: multiunit structures.
(1) Existing law generally regulates the hiring of dwelling units and, among other things, imposes certain requirements on landlords and tenants. Among these requirements, existing law requires landlords to provide tenants with certain notices or disclosures pertaining to, among other things, pest control and gas meters.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to encourage the conservation of water in multifamily residential rental buildings through means either within the landlord’s or the tenant’s control, and to ensure that the practices involving the submetering of dwelling units for water service are just and reasonable, and include appropriate safeguards for both tenants and landlords.
This bill would define the term “submeter” for these purposes.
(2) The California Building Standards Law provides for the adoption of building standards by state agencies by requiring all state agencies that adopt or propose adoption of any building standard to submit the building standard to the California Building Standards Commission for approval and adoption. Existing law creates the Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund and requires that funds deposited into the fund be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to carry out specified provisions of law that relate to building standards, with emphasis placed on certain activities relating to green building standards.
This bill would authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop and propose for adoption by the commission building standards that require the installation of water submeters in multiunit residential buildings, as specified. This bill would provide that moneys in the fund are available to the department, upon appropriation, for administrative costs associated with the development of building standards that require the installation of water submeters in multiunit residential buildings.
(3) The Water Measurement Law requires every water purveyor to require, as a condition of new water service on and after January 1, 1992, the installation of a water meter to measure water service. That law also requires urban water suppliers to install water meters on specified service connections, and to charge water users based on the actual volume of deliveries as measured by those water meters in accordance with a certain timetable.
This bill would define the term “submeter” for purposes of that law.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 1954.201)
2is added to Title 5 of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code, to
3read:
4
It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
8chapter to do both of the following:
9(a) To encourage the conservation of water in multifamily
10residential rental buildings through means either within the
11landlord’s or the tenant’s control.
12(b) To ensure that the practices involving the submetering of
13dwelling units for water service are just and reasonable, and include
14appropriate safeguards for both tenants and landlords.
“Submeter” means a device that measures water
2consumption of an individual rental unit within a multiunit
3residential structure or mixed-use residential and commercial
4structure, and that is owned and operated by the owner of the
5structure or the owner’s agent.
Section 17922.14 is added to the Health and Safety
7Code, to read:
(a) During the next regularly scheduled triennial
9code cycle that commences on or after January 1, 2016, or during
10a subsequent code adoption cycle, the department may develop
11and propose for adoption by the California Building Standards
12Commission, pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section
1318935) of Part 2.5, building standards requiring the installation of
14water submeters, as that term is defined by Section 517 of the
15Water Code, in multiunit residential buildings.
16(b) The department shall determine whether and under what
17circumstances the installation of water submeters are infeasible
18and include in the building standards proposed in subdivision (a)
19the appropriate provision for exemption from this requirement.
20The department may
consider whether there are any issues specific
21to high-rise multifamily buildings that would require an exemption
22from the requirement for the installation of water submeters.
23(c) Moneys in the Building Standards Administration Special
24Revolving Fund established pursuant to Section 18931.7 shall be
25available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the
26department’s administrative costs associated with the development
27of building standards in accordance with this section.
Section 517 is added to the Water Code, to read:
“Submeter” means a device that measures water
30consumption of an individual rental unit within a multiunit
31residential structure or mixed-use residential and commercial
32structure, and that is owned and operated by the owner of the
33structure or the owner’s agent.
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